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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Salads

    Apple, Fennel, and Radish Slaw with Pecans and Blue Cheese

    Modified: Jul 4, 2023 ยท Published: Jun 30, 2021 ยท by Amy Casey ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 1 Comment

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    crunchy slaw with apples and fennel

    This crunchy red, white and blue salad is a festive addition to any menu. Apple, Fennel, and Radish Slaw with Pecans and Blue Cheese is a refreshing side dish to take to a picnic, barbecue, or potluck.

    apple fennel slaw with pecans and blue cheese

    The warm summer weather calls for lots of salads . I love my creamy red potato salad, this sweet melon and fresh mozzarella salad, and a big chicken entrée salad.

    This crunchy apple and fennel slaw is one of my favorite summertime salad side dishes. The unique combination of ingredients is a tantalizing mix of savory, sweet, salty and tangy-tart flavors.

    Fennel tastes faintly like licorice. The sweet apples and blueberries, the spicy radishes and crisp celery are fruits and vegetables whose flavors complement each other.

    Jump to:
    • the ingredients
    • how to keep apples from turning brown in salads
    • how to make apple fennel slaw
    • expert tips
    • can the salad be made in advance?
    • just one more thing
    • Recipe

    the ingredients

    • lemon
    • apple
    • fennel and fennel fronds
    • celery
    • radishes
    • blueberries
    • toasted pecans
    • blue cheese
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • kosher salt
    • pepper

    Scroll down to the recipe for the full quantities of the ingredients.

    red apples
    fennel bulbs
    bunches of radishes
    apple fennel slaw with pecans and blue cheese

    how to keep apples from turning brown in salads

    Adding apples to a salad can sometimes lead to an unpleasant browning of the sliced fruit.

    A trick to keep the apple slices bright white is to add sliced apples to a bowl of cold water and the juice of ยฝ lemon. Swish the apples around in the liquid and let sit for a few minutes.

    The citrus juice and water mixture evenly coats the apples without adding too much lemony flavor. The result is fruit that looks and tastes just as fresh as when it was cut.

    how to make apple fennel slaw

    As with most cold salads, no cooking is needed to make this crunchy apple fennel slaw.

    Start out by soaking the matchstick sliced apples in cold water with a squeeze of ยฝ lemon.

    Thinly slice the fennel, celery and radishes and place in a large bowl. Add the blueberries, pecans, and blue cheese.

    In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil with the kosher salt and pepper. Taste this simple vinaigrette as you may want to add a little more salt and/or pepper.

    Toss the fruit and veggies with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with some chopped fennel fronds. FYI ~ fennel fronds are the light and airy tops of the fennel bulb.

    apple fennel slaw with pecans and blue cheese

    expert tips

    • Pick the freshest available fruits and vegetables for the tastiest apple fennel slaw.
    • Thinly slice the apple, fennel, celery, and radishes in matchsticks. This makes for the prettiest slaw that has lots of crunch.
    • Substitute your favorite nuts for the pecans. I also love almonds or walnuts in this recipe.
    • To toast the pecans, heat a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the nuts (nothing else is needed as they contain natural oils) and toast for 5 to 6 minutes. Shake the skillet occasionally so the nuts evenly brown and do not burn.
    • Gorgonzola, goat cheese, Parmesan, or sharp cheddar are good substitutes for the blue cheese.
    • Serve the apple fennel slaw can be immediately after making it. Or refrigerate the crunchy salad for up to 6 hours.
    apple fennel slaw with pecans and blue cheese

    can the salad be made in advance?

    The slaw’s crunchy ingredients hold up well to sitting out on a picnic table or buffet. Make the apple fennel slaw early in the day so there is no last minute chopping. And the recipe can be easily doubled if serving a crowd.

    just one more thing

    If you make this delicious apple fennel slaw, I love hearing from you all.

    Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

    Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories and videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

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    Recipe

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    A serving dish with raw fennel and apple salad.

    Apple, Fennel, and Radish Slaw with Pecans and Blue Cheese


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Amy Casey
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 6 1x
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    Description

    This crunchy red, white and blue salad is a festive addition to any menu. Apple, Fennel, and Radish Slaw with Pecans and Blue Cheese is a refreshing side dish to take to a picnic, barbecue, or potluck.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • ยฝ lemon
    • 1 medium apple quartered and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
    • 1 fennel bulb quartered and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
    • 2 celery stalks thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
    • 4 radishes cut in half and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
    • 1 cup blueberries
    • ยฝ cup chopped pecans
    • ยฝ cup crumbled blue cheese
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • ยฝ teaspoon salt
    • ยผ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

    Instructions

    1. Fill a bowl with cold water and add the juice of the ½ lemon and the sliced apples. Set aside while the remainder of the salad is prepared.
    2. In a large bowl, combine the fennel, celery, radishes, blueberries, pecans, and blue cheese. Set aside.
    3. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
    4. Drain the apples and add to the large bowl with the other fruits and vegetables.
    5. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle the chopped fennel fronds on top of the salad.
    6. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

    Notes

    • Pick the freshest available fruits and vegetables for the tastiest apple fennel slaw.
    • Thinly slice the apple, fennel, celery, and radishes in matchsticks. This makes for the prettiest slaw that has lots of crunch.
    • To toast the pecans, heat a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the nuts (nothing else is needed as they contain natural oils) and toast for 5 to 6 minutes. Shake the skillet occasionally so the nuts evenly brown and do not burn.
    • Gorgonzola, goat cheese, Parmesan, or sharp cheddar are good substitutes for the blue cheese.
    • Serve the apple fennel slaw can be immediately after it is prepared. Or refrigerate the crunchy salad for up to 6 hours.
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Category: Side Dish
    • Method: no cooking required
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: โ…™ of recipe
    • Calories: 220
    • Sugar: 8.2 g
    • Sodium: 392 mg
    • Fat: 17.6 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 14.7 g
    • Fiber: 4.1 g
    • Protein: 4.3 g
    • Cholesterol: 8 mg

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. amycaseycooks

      July 07, 2021 at 5:26 pm

      This is a summertime favorite! Especially for the 4th of July!!

      Reply

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    Personal chef Amy Casey.

    I'm Amy Casey and welcome to Amy Casey Cooks! I have a lifelong love of food and 20 years experience as a personal chef while cooking for over 300 clients. I share my tested, tried and true easy recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, and videos so you can make restaurant quality meals in your own kitchen. More about my culinary journey.

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